1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to an assembly and method for removing a head from a shaft of a golf club. More particularly, the invention relates to using tools for removing the head of a golf club mechanically from the shaft.
2. Description of Related Art
With golf being such a popular sport, fans of the game are constantly looking for ways to improve their shot. One way of making improvements to their game is altering or personalizing the clubs in which the player is using. As shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b, golf clubs are made up of a handle (not shown), a shaft 26, a ferrule 28, a hosel 34, and a head 32. Both the head and shaft are the most often varied parts of the golf club. The shafts are available in various strengths, diameters, and materials. The heads are available in various sizes and materials. In order to personalize the head of a club, the current head must be removed without damaging the rest of the club, especially the shaft. A common problem with most head removers is that they cause side loading to occur and damage the shaft significantly.
There are various devices used in the prior art for removing the head of the club. One example is Wettlaufers's U.S. Pat. No. 2,160,395. Wettlaufer uses a device having a partial hex nut with a handle and a partially threaded sleeve-like body, where the hex nut sits up against a washer which is placed on the shaft adjacent to the terminal portion of the shank of the club head. The nut is then turned using the handle and the nut pushes on the washer, which in turn pushes against the terminal portion of the club head. The device eventually pushes the head off of the golf club. The problem with this device is that the turning of the nut is limited in travel to the partial threading on the sleeve-like body.
Other devices used to remove golf club heads from their shafts are described in Marshall's U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,687,464 and 4,910,849. Marshall's apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,464, consists of an externally threaded sleeve slipped over the handle of the club from which the head needs to be removed, and placed near the hosel of the club. On top of the threaded portion of the threaded sleeve is a drive member in the form of a coil spring or a rigid tube. A turnstile connected to the drive member is used to advance the drive member, increasing the pressure placed on the hosel. After the hosel is heated, the pressure from the drive member pushes the club head off of the shaft. Marshall's U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,849 discloses a puller for removing the head of a golf club from the shaft. To remove the head of the golf club, the shaft is inserted into a tube and aligned. Once aligned, pins are inserted to maintain the shaft in a proper position. A nut is then rotated proximal-to-distal to compress a spring, which urges a second washer and shaft engaging member to travel in the distal-to-proximal direction. After the nut has traveled an inch or two the spring applies pressure against the flange, urging the shaft to separate form the hosel. Both of Marshall's patents can cause side-loading to occur in the shaft of the golf club.
Weiss' U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,263 uses hydraulic means to separate the golf club head from the shaft. Machado et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,418 uses removal tool that includes a vise and pins which uses a force plate to push the club head off of the shaft. Farino's U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,893 is a method of removing a head from a golf club using a device that has a L-shaped head grasping mechanism and a securing mechanism. The head grasping mechanism is rotated about the securing mechanism and the axis of the shaft of the club being fixed. As the drive mechanism rotates it applies pressure to the head of the club away from the direction of the shaft. The L-shaped head grasping mechanism does not fit the bigger club heads now on the market and does not provide a way of varying the size of the L-shaped grasping mechanism.
Other solutions sold in popular magazines such as GolfSmith® is a giant pry bar, which can leave marks on the shaft and cause side loading to occur, a shaft keeper using spring action, which is hard to use, and other shaft extractors which are very expensive.
Therefore, there was a need for a shaft extractor tool, which was inexpensive, easy to use, and does not cause side-loading or damage the shaft of the golf club.